Galactic Calendar 259872/ 2000 [ Sol Year 4387/ Day 155 of 365. Sol standard year]
Days after of Crash landing/ 5
Uninhabited Island /Tunnels near Yard Ship
Galactic Standard Time / 1340
Jinn watched as Jess carried Karakpace away, his mind going very fast. There had been nothing that came from the creature’s mouth, which meant that it had come from the back. That meant that it had a way of spitting its liquid acid from a blowhole-like thing. That was the worst outcome, there was no way that he could attack it close now. If that blowhole was something it just made, then any time he got close to it, he might be walking into a trap. Best to fight it at range, that was the only thing he could do now.
As he kept firing, he ‘dashed’ to above the blind side of the monster’s face. He looked down at the Spider-Worm and saw a leaking hole on its back. As the metal beneath its feet started to release steam from the surface, Jinn cursed again. “I hate being right about these things. I hate it so much!”
As the monster turned at his voice, slapping its tail around the floor, he grinned as he fell. He ‘dashed’ to the ceiling, and looked down. Pushing off, he screamed and the beast turned towards where he was. He looked at it before he ‘dashed’ again, this time he fired as he landed near the hanger door.
He looked at the Spider-Worm as it looked at him, growling as it moved backwards a bit. He nodded, feeling his anger-wise as he couldn’t hide from the reality anymore. This monster was more than a beast, and that was bad. The worst enemy was something that wanted revenge. And this thing was looking like one of those enemies. He knew that he had to do something, but as long as it escaped they could regroup. They could still kill this thing, they didn’t have to do it now.
There was a lot they could do. The factories here, if they worked then Al could make gear for them. And for the other survivors coming here now, they could use Locke’s powers to make a base camp of the maze. Then if they kept the monster away from the survivors and food, they could even outlast it! Or if they had to, they could come into this place to hunt it down. He could make the trip back to the crash site alone, he knew where it was and his ‘dash’ skill could get him back to the plateau. Once there, he could find the camp and ask Duncan for orders.
But then that meant giving the Spider-Worm time to plan or do anything. And with that acid, it could destroy everything they needed this place for. As his old trainers would say, this was a loss, loss situation. And whenever he found those situations, he had learned one thing that might be. The one thing to do was kill this thing here and now, the third option.
“Always gotta do the hard option, don’t you J? Guess she was right about you,” Jinn said to himself with a small smile.
He ‘dashed’ to the good sign of the Spider-Worm’s face, and then it looked at him he fired at its chest.
It roared in pain and lashed out with its piercing limbs, but Jinn only ‘dashed’ away behind it and fired. As it roared and tried to find him, Jinn just grinned. Aiming at one of the destroyed robots in the blind spot of the Spider-Worm, he ‘dashed’ there. Once he was on the ground he grabbed a torn-off piece of a robot, his goal. He ‘dashed’ to the other side of the chamber in the air and threw the piece at the wall before dashing away. He grinned as the Spider-Worm roared and charged that way.
“I can still trick it! I can win after all!” He muttered as he looked at the monster and fired at its back before ‘dashing’ away. The Spider-Worm roared and charged at where the shot had come from, and he laughed a little. This was going to be as easy as he thought. With practice ease, he started to do that again and again. Each time he let it see him, he was leading it closer to the opening to the outside. But after five times, the Spider-Worm stayed where it was, looking around in what might have been anger.
Jinn looked at the beast from above and scowled. “So the little monster actually remembered it after all? wonderful.”
He fell for a foot before he ‘dashed’ to the beast’s backside and fired from just out of reach. When the beast tried to use its tail, he ‘Dash’ to the bad side but then it roared. He ‘dashed’ backwards and saw that the destroyed eye had been healed. “It can regenerate!? Shouldn’t its mind been nothing but ashes and mush by now!?”
Without a single thought, he ‘dashed’ upwards. A single moment later the Spider-Worm had thundered through where he had been. He saw a balcony from the apex of the chamber, and with a single thought he ‘dashed’ to above it. He landed silently and looked down at the monster from hiding, trying to make a plan.
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He could just keep ‘dashing’ and firing, that might work. At the least, it would keep this monster from the others. The only thing he could do was try and create a new plan now. The fact that this thing could regenerate, was a game-changer.
But then that had to be why it ate C1ll, it needed the fuel. But then why did it need the fuel? Were its abilities always active, even if it was healed? But that would have killed it by now. There was something here, something that he couldn’t see. But he had to figure something out, he had to.
As the Spider-Worm roared, a blast of the black liquid shot out of its blowhole. Jinn watched as it hit and ate at the remains of the Shuttle Robot. As the liquid slowly melted the robot, the Spider Worm turned around. With slow steps, it came over to the remains and it started to drink the messy liquidity metal. This stunned Jinn so much that he almost made a sound. “What are you up to….?”
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Karakpacee slowly blinked, he had been sure he was going to die. He had been expecting to see the Great Nest within moments, but instead, he was still alive. For a moment, it was all Karakpace could do to let his body ache and react to the stimulant of being alive. Feeling the bugs he had connected to, he felt their life force and drank deeply of their senses. That was an old trick that he had heard to center yourself, and it was rocking. He had felt his control slipping, a sight that he was dying, so what had happened to him? What was this?
Forcing his eyes open, he looked around and tried to understand where he was. Surprisingly, he wasn’t in the hanger chamber. Instead, he was back in the hallway far down the corridor. He couldn’t understand, how had he gotten there so fast? His memories came back, and he remembered everything.
Then when he looked at Sara, only then did he understand. She wasn’t looking down at him, instead, she was staring at her hands in awe. It was the glow around them that told him what and how she had saved him, and he chuckled.
“So there is a healer among you all, amazing. You are all truly blessed by this world to have been given such a gift,” Karakpace rumbled softly.
Karakpace looked at Jess, who had saved him. She knew Jinn’s movement Power, and that was something interesting. That meant that she had been blessed like him, and that was something to think about. The others back at the Beast would need to know, this group could make good allies. And if they ever made it home then the Queen would want to know these people.
“You okay big guy?” Jess asked and Karakpace nodded.
“Yes, I am. We must go help Jinn,” Karakpace rumbled as he tried to get up but found his body wouldn’t obey him. He blinked and looked down, feeling his body trying to fight against him. “I can’t move.”
He closed his eyes and let his power rush within him, trying to understand his body. After a moment, he opened his eyes and cursed. “No! I can’t stand just yet, the damage needs time for my muscles to recover!”
Karakpace growled low in his throat, he was missing the battle and Jinn might die if he wasn’t there.
“Good, stay here!” Jess said with a scowl as she started to walk towards the door. “I’ll back Jinn up, you stay here and get them out of here if we fail!”
Karakpace looked at her for a few minutes, before he nodded and decided to do something. “Wait! To increase your strength, focus the power to your shoulder muscles, that’s all.”
Jess stopped and looked at him before nodding. “Thanks.”
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As Jess ran to the door and out it, she tried to think of what to do. Down the hanger, the Spider Worm was roaring as it tried to find Jinn who had disappeared. Without making a sound, Jess ‘dashed’ up and saw Jinn hiding on a balcony from the sight of the monster. Looking around, she saw another one on the other side of the chamber near the others. Moving there with a single ‘Dash’ she poked her head up over against the wall, and looked at Jinn. he saw her and gestured to the others, and she made a circle sign. He looked down at the monster, sighed, and shook his head.
He gestured down, made a finger gun, and then held up all five of his right hand. Jess nodded holding up her pistol and nodded back.
Jinn only looked at her before he disappeared in a ‘dash’. He appeared above the monster and fired at it as he fell before he ‘dashed’ again. The monster roared and looked around as Jess did the same. It was only when another blast hit the monster form that she had a clue. The bolt had come from the direction of the open hanger door then she understood where Jinn was. Looking towards that direction, her mouth dropped open. Jinn was firing as he fell just outside of the open doors. The beauty of it was when he fell out of sight he must have 'dashed' upwards. And so he repeated his fall and fired at the monster again.
The more that happened, the more the Spider Beast grew mad. But were Jess’s eyes playing tricks on her or was it changing before her eyes? As she stared in horror, long spikes in two lines grew down its spine. They merged at the tail, growing until they were over a foot long. The spikes were glittering in the light as if they were made of metal. As she stared she thought she saw a spark of something jump from the end spike on the tail to the closest one.
The Spider-Worm just released a roar, louder than it ever had. Then a bolt of lightning shot from spike to spike until it reaches the head. Then a blast of pure electricity shot at Jinn from the top spikes.
She stared in horror at what the mounter could do, stunned stupid for a second. Then Jinn was next to her, a scowl on his face.
“So that was what it needed the fuel for. Wonderful. Jess! Go tell the others to stay back, then get back here!” Jinn ordered calmly.
Jess stared at him in shock. She couldn’t believe, he actually knew what to do next. They just saw a monster mutate before their eyes and in moments, Jinn had a plan to deal with it.
“What are we going to do!?” Jess asked.
Jinn only looked at her and shook his head. “The only thing we can, play Zap Tag with that thing! Just dash, fire, and repeat! That thing must be burning through its resources, we just need to outlast it!”
Jess looked at him in shock, and a little bit of surprise. In the brief time that the creature had mutated, Jinn identified a weakness they could use to beat it.
“Who are you?! Where did you learn how to do this!?” Jess demanded, dark thoughts going through her head. There was nothing and nowhere that taught the way Jinn thought.
“That’s a long story, and we don’t have time for it! Go now!” Jinn barked before he disappeared in another ‘dash’. The monster’s roar was all the incentive Jess needed to move, and she ‘dashed’ away. The sounds of combat behind her caused her to almost turn, but she ran into the doorway, doing what Jinn told her to do. Jinn’s plan was going to be dangerous, but it was the best idea that they had right now. No, it was the only idea that might work!